Maine Artist: Angela Warren

Maine graduate, successful visual artist

Unlike other professions educators don’t often see or know the outcomes of their day to day teaching. Sure, the ah-ha moments are evident on our learners faces, and student questions often lead to student-centered learning that is exciting but the long term impact is not often known. We know that the arts teach so much more than is measured.

Stanford University professor Eliot Eisner created 10 Lessons The Arts Teach:

1. The arts teach children to make good judgments about qualitative relationships. Unlike much of the curriculum in which correct answers and rules prevail, in the arts, it is judgment rather than rules that prevail.
2. The arts teach children that problems can have more than one solution and that questions can have more than one answer.
3. The arts celebrate multiple perspectives. One of their large lessons is that there are many ways to see and interpret the world.
4. The arts teach children that in complex forms of problem solving purposes are seldom fixed, but change with circumstance and opportunity. Learning in the arts requires the ability and a willingness to surrender to the unanticipated possibilities of the work as it unfolds.
5. The arts make vivid the fact that neither words in their literal form nor numbers exhaust what we canknow. The limits of our language do not define the limits of our cognition.
6. The arts teach students that small differences can have large effects. The arts traffic in subtleties.
7. The arts teach students to think through and within a material. All art forms employ some means through which images become real.
8. The arts help children learn to say what cannot be said. When children are invited to disclose what a work of art helps them feel, they must reach into their poetic capacities to find the words that will do the job.
9. The arts enable us to have experience we can have from no other source and through such experience to discover the range and variety of what we are capable of feeling.
10. The arts’ position in the school curriculum symbolizes to the young what adults believe is important.

Eisner’s list, if fully realized, is embedded into every student’s ‘being’ who has walked through the doorway of the arts classroom. Periodically students future includes a direct connection to what they’ve learned and they make an arts discipline their main focus in life. They become successful artists, musicians, actors, and/or dancers. Many of them have stories to share. This is the first ‘student’ story on my blog Argy’s Point of View with the new format. This post includes an interview with Angela Warren who graduated from Bangor High School. If you know other Maine high school graduates whose stories should be shared please contact me at meartsed@gmail.com or add their information in the comments section at the bottom of this post. I’d love to share their story.

ALL ABOUT ANGELA

BACKGROUND

• When did you get interested in being an artist?

I first became interested in art when I was about 8. My mom was my first art teacher. She taught art classes to kids at a dance studio (where I also took dance) in Hermon, Maine. It was a nice large open space. My first drawings were of oranges and grapes using oil pastels. After starting my drawing and then going home, I couldn’t wait to return to the class the next day to see what I made. It was that moment that I knew I loved creating. I also really enjoyed all the crafts we did at home. My favorite creations were of a little lizard made of my mom’s old bathing suit, and a larger lizard, all held together with hot glue. One of my favorite adhesives to this day!! It wasn’t until high school that I became even more interested in pursuing art. 

• Who influenced you to create art? 

Yes, my mom influenced me greatly. She was a full time time nurse, but incredible at drawing. I remember she made these way larger than life size polar bear drawings for our school using a thick sharpie, they were so realistic and awesome. She was always doing crafts with us, and encouraging creativity and discovery. I was also influenced by my high school art teacher Ms. Elmore. She noticed a line drawing I made of earrings when I was a freshman or sophomore in high school and said my use of line was very advanced, and to not let that go to my head, lol. Obviously it probably did since I still remember it to this day 🙂 Also, Maine artist Nina Jerome came to our class in high school and taught us about her painting process, I’ll never forget that, and to this day I still sometimes use what she taught us (how to use a bright underpainting to make the other colors pop) in my paintings. I’m sure there is more but that’s what comes to mind right away. 

•  What was your art education like in K-12?

K-6 there wasn’t an art program at the time in Hermon Maine, so my mom stepped in and taught a lot of art classes to local kids. It wasn’t until high school that I could really focus on art. I was very excited to take Kal’s art class, I had heard awesome things about it. She was a dedicated, nurturing, and a serious art teacher. I remember her summer homework being hard, we had to maintain a sketchbook all summer, and throughout the year. I learned basic drawing skills in that class, and really enjoyed the still life drawing assignments with fabric and bones. I loved the art history we learned as well. I took art all through high school every year, and then AP art my senior year where my concentration I think was nature and landscape. I loved it, the classroom was a place where we could be ourselves, talk and laugh with friends, it was a very positive and well rounded experience. 

• After high school did you have formal education in art?

Yes, I went to a liberal arts college where I wasn’t sure what I was going to study, but enrolled with a scholarship in art, music, and theatre. I began to again excel at my art classes, so I just kept pursuing it, and then decided I would graduate with a BFA in painting and printmaking. After college I took two years off and prepared for graduate school in art, and went to Maine College of Art for my Masters of Fine Art. 

From the collection: Gulf of Florida Nature Series

• What kind of art do you create? Share some about your images, where your ideas come from, what influences you?

I create colorful abstract paintings inspired by nature and light. I’m always influenced by nature, light, flowers, water, trees, and also the feeling of bliss that you get when being outside. I get a lot of my ideas walking around outside, hiking, biking, being on a boat, or sitting on the beach. I watch how light peaks through trees, and shifts on water and how clouds change shape. I lived in the Caribbean for 3 years and now the Gulf Coast of Florida, so my current work is influenced by living in these places. I’ve also been inspired to paint the sounds in music, and the peaceful feeling of meditating of breathing in yoga.

Angela set up at an art show selling her work

• WHAT KAL ELMORE SAYS

Angie was a delightful student! She always had a smile and a kind word. Angie always loved color and paint and was always receptive to comments and suggestions. She is an extremely talented artist and it makes me happy to see her following her dreams. And I also love that she is sharing her knowledge and expertise with others. 

• What is your message to young people interested in pursuing a career in the arts?

Do what you love and makes you happy. You can start any path you want, whether it’s pursuing an education, or taking some classes here and there, just let your own journey guide you. I definitely value my art education and know that it has given me a strong foundation and network to get me to where I am today. Also be prepared for many ups and downs- success, rejection, frustration, doubt, joy and more.

FOLLOW ANGELA

You can see more of Angela’s work at her website https://www.angelawarrenart.com/ and follow her on instagram https://www.instagram.com/angelawarrenart/ and facebook https://www.facebook.com/angelawarrenart. Where can readers see your work: link to website, facebook, twitter, Instagram, other?

SHARE

Feel free to share this story with young people. Angela is an inspiration that might plant seeds for future artists. Don’t hesitate to reach out to her through her website if you have more questions or better yet, if you know a young person who finds this interesting encourage them to contact Angela. Leave a comment below and share your student stories with me at meartsed@gmail.com.

Arts Learning Grant Recipient

Bangor High School

Potter and MALI Teaching Artist Tim Christensen

“Sharks, tarpan migration, stingrays. Canoeing in deeper water while a dolphin gave birth under the boat. No tolerance for being bored. I had something to say. Being a potter let’s me capture information and communicate it in a durable way. In 500 years what do you want someone to know about you, what your life is like in 2018”?

These are some of the stories that teaching artist Tim Christensen shares when he visits classrooms – stories of how he got where he is and how he is living in Maine and working as an artist. He shares why he does what he does and how it came to be. He started out selling text books after majoring in writing in college. But at age 28 after losing his job he took time to consider what he really wanted to do.

Earlier this month I visited Bangor High School while they had Tim working with their students from all three of their art teachers students. The school received a Maine Arts Commission (MAC) Arts Learning grant to provide this opportunity.

Tim makes clay bowls by throwing them on a potter’s wheel and uses the sgraffito process to decorate the pottery. Sgraffito is made by scratching through a surface to reveal the lower layer of contrasting color.

I’ve visited Tim in action in other classrooms and its always interesting to see where he is in his development as an artist and as a teacher. The Maine Arts Leadership Initiative (MALI) is pleased to have Tim as a Teaching Artist Leader and on the Maine Arts Commission Teaching Artist roster. It is clear from the teacher and student responses that Tim did a fabulous job and impacted students and teachers during during his four days at the school.

ART TEACHER EVA WAGNER’S REFLECTIONS

Tim Christensen was such a refreshing presence in our classroom. His knowledge, skills, talent, creativity and energy inspired our students to create truly unique artwork. I learned so much from him in just a few days and I am hoping to get him to come back and work with my classes again.

He is a great story teller and he really took an interest in the students’ artwork. They really responded to him personally.

Working with a professional artist is such a valuable experience to give to our youth. It helps them to see fine art as a viable career and exposes them to a whole new way of working and caliber of work. Often high school teachers, like myself, become a sort of jack of all trades because of the amount of time we spend teaching and preparing different lessons. A professional artist has the luxury to focus which raises their production and craftsmanship –  it is wonderful to be able to expose the students to someone who works in this way.

STUDENT REFLECTIONS

• I enjoyed working with a professional artist because it’s broadening who we learn from. It was cool working with someone who makes and sells art for a living.
• I learned that quality is better than quantity. I would love to work with this artist again.
• I enjoyed that Tim took the time to teach us individually and took interest in our art. I also enjoyed the story he told us about sailing across the Pacific ocean.
• It makes us realize that there are artists out there that make a living from their art. It broadens our outlook on art and gives us perspective of art in the real world.
• It was inspiring to hear someone’s personal story of how they became a professional potter.
• I learned about creating sgraffito that tells a story on pottery. I would love to learn more about throwing with Tim Christensen.
• I liked hearing about Tim’s life story and how he started art. He had many interesting views on art and how he saw the world because of his art. His art itself was incredible, and I had never heard of the techniques he used.
• Having a Teaching Artist in the classroom can further your understanding of a subject to have someone that is specialized in that art. They can inspire students with their story and give hands on advice.
• It helped me to see what it would be like to be a professional artist.
• I enjoyed it because I got to work with a professional on my favorite subject.
• I learned that there were more than just the few art styles that I’ve learned about over the years so far.
• I learned how to do sgraffito and that sometimes you don’t need to work from an immediate drawing, you can just start from nothing and keep going from there.
• It allows you to explore ideas and techniques you might not normally do.  It allows you to learn from them, and hear their stories and get new ideas.  It dispels the idea that artists are unapproachable. It allows you to see other career options beyond lawyer, doctor, teacher, etc.
• Working with a professional artist was really nice and eye opening to see what his type of life is like. He was a really good artist that was super different from any work that we’ve done in school but it was really eye opening. He was really nice and helped me personally open my eyes to doing different work that was outside my comfort zone.
• Tim Christensen taught me to step outside my comfort zone and to realize that when I think I’m done with an art piece, if there is still open space on my work, then I am not done. He helped me make my work better and was overall a good teacher.
• He was an excellent teacher, and had a thoughtful answer to everything we asked.

ART TEACHER ERIC HUTCHINS REFLECTIONS

Many of our students want to become professional artists, but it is a scary thought for them and even their parents to survive as an artist. It is really nice for them to see a Maine artist that is successful at what he does! Tim was able to introduce new and different techniques to many different classes, and offer opportunity for ceramic works to classes that would never get a chance to experience that. Every opportunity students have can open new doors for them.

Tim’s stories about his travels around the world set it apart from other artists that have spoken to our students. His travels and stories connect to the art that he creates, so the students can hear and see the stories at the same time.

We had teachers from other departments visit while he was presenting and even had the opportunity to create their own work with him. They were as engaged as the students.

Students were so impressed with how incredible his work was they were captured by him at the very beginning. It was nice to be “on the outside” and see the students entire conceptual process with the art and see how they react to someone else. It provides you with insight in how students understand and comprehend what is being taught.

PRINCIPAL PAUL BUTLER’S REFLECTIONS

The quality of the contact between Tim and the students was outstanding, and he brought great energy to his visit. Technique sharing is one thing, but interacting with a practicing artist in the way that our students were able to is quite another– and will have a lasting impact on them.

TIM CHRISTENSEN’S REFLECTIONS

I see my value as a teaching artist to be manifold. I create connective tissue in the arts education field by helping people to network, and by connecting art teachers working on the same ideas. I also can bring specialized knowledge into the classroom, whether it be about natural history, technical clay knowledge, or professional and funding opportunities. For the students, I am a fresh face with no baggage, someone who is working in the field of fine art, and is very comfortable sharing all of my professional knowledge. I also provide a platform from which the students can speak and be heard, by stressing the communicative, content bearing parts of any art project.

I very much enjoy teaching the sgraffito technique as a communication tool that transcends culture and/or time. In a way, sgraffito was the original emoji. I urge the students to think about what they would like to say to someone five hundred years hence, and to create artwork that is capable of doing that. I am successful when I have empowered students to speak using their visual voice and to create from a place that is uniquely theirs, confident that they will be heard and that what they have to say matters in the global conversation about our world.

Poetry Out Loud State Finals

March 15, 3:00 PM, Waterville Opera House

THE MAINE ARTS COMMISSION ANNOUNCES POETRY OUT LOUD STATE FINALS
Maine High School Students Compete in National Poetry Recitation Contest

Augusta, ME—The Maine Arts Commission is presenting the 2016 Maine State Finals for Poetry Out Loud, a National Poetry Recitation Contest, on March 15 at 3 p.m. at the Waterville Opera House. The competition, presented in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation, is free and open to the public. Jennifer Rooks, MPBN’s Public Affairs Host, will be the emcee. Doors open to the public at 2:30 p.m. and no tickets are required.

Poetry Out Loud encourages high school students to learn about great poetry through memorization, performance, and competition. Since Poetry Out Loud began, millions of students at more than 7,300 schools nationwide have been involved. This school year, almost 10,000 Maine students have participated in the program, providing them with an opportunity to master public-speaking skills, build self-confidence, and learn about their literary heritage.

“Poetry Out Loud is one of many examples of high-quality, partnership-based programs that the NEA offers to schools and communities across the country,” said NEA Chairman Jane Chu. “By helping students foster creative thinking skills and inspire self-expression, we are laying a foundation for lifelong learning in the arts.”

Poetry Out Loud is organized by the NEA and the Poetry Foundation, and is administered at the state level by the Maine Arts Commission. It began this year in Maine’s high schools where each school selected a champion to compete in a regional competition. From the two regional finals, 10 students were selected to compete in the State Finals. One student will move on from the State Finals to represent Maine at the National Finals in Washington D.C., where students from all 50 states, the District of Columbia, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico will compete for a total of $50,000 in awards and school stipends for the purchase of poetry books.

Congratulations to the following students who will participate in the Maine State Finals at the Waterville Opera House:
•  Lydia Caron, Bangor High School
•  Morgan Steward, Carrabec High School
•  Shiloh Munsen, Freeport High School
•  Charlotte Benoit, Greely High School
•  Danielle Barrett, Hampden Academy
•  Sylvia Holland, Maine Coast Waldorf School
•  Rose Horowitz, Mt. Ararat High School
•  Owen Sinclair, Rangeley Lakes Regional School
•  Anna Bucklin, Searsport District High School
•  Ben Millspaugh, Waynflete School

For more information, please visit http://mainearts.maine.gov/Pages/Education/POL-Home or contact Argy Nestor, Maine Arts Commission Director of Arts Education at argy.nestor@maine.gov or 207-287-2713.

The Maine Arts Commission shall encourage and stimulate public interest and participation in the cultural heritage and cultural programs of our state; shall expand the state’s cultural resources; and shall encourage and assist freedom of artistic expression for the well being of the arts, to meet the needs and aspirations of persons in all parts of the state.

Southern Region State Finalists left to right: Charlotte Benoit, Greely High School; Rose Horowitz, Mt. Ararat High School; Ben Millspaugh, Waynflete School; Sylvia Holland, Maine Coast Waldorf School; Shilo Munsen, Freeport High School

Northern Region State Finalists left to right: Lydia Caron, Bangor High School; Morgan Steward, Carrabec High School; Danielle Barrett, Hampden Academy; Owen Sinclair, Rangeley Lakes Regional School; Anna Bucklin, Searsport District High School

Congrats Student Artists!

Congressional Art Awards

The Congressional Art Competition began in 1982 to provide an opportunity for Members of Congress to encourage and recognize the artistic talents of their young constituents. Since then, over 700,000 high school students have competed for the honor of having their work shown in the U.S. Capitol.

The competition is open to all high school students. The overall winner of each participating district will have the opportunity to have their work displayed in the Cannon Tunnel of the U.S. Capitol for the entire year, beginning in June. In addition, winners will be flown to Washington, D.C. for the official opening of the show in June.

Congratulations to the following students who are being honored this year, 2015

DISTRICT ONE		DISTRICT TWO
WINNER		WINNER
Self Portrait  acrylic		The Widow  white charcoal
Djordje Jevtic    Grade 12, Scarborough High School    Art Teacher: Erin Landry-Fowler		Liam Reading     Grade 12, Bangor High School     Art Teacher: Kal Elmore
FIRST RUNNER UP		FIRST RUNNER UP
Self Portrait  graphite		Airport  ink pen
Anna Kinee    Grade 12, Brunswick High School    Art Teacher: Allison Price		Youjin Choi     Grade 11, Foxcroft Academy     Art Teacher: Jane Blay
SECOND RUNNER UP		SECOND RUNNER UP
After the Music is Over  charcoal		Mirror’s Reflection  charcoal
Olivia Potter     Grade 10, Morse High School     Art Teacher: Heather Monsen		Maxwell Clarrage     Grade 11, Lewiston High School     Art Teacher: Nathaniel Meyer
HONORABLE MENTION		HONORABLE MENTION
Living in a Bottle  photography		Inside the Yellow Room  gouache
Kailey Coleman     Grade 12, Noble High School     Art Teacher: Ginny Vakalis		Jingfei Zhou     Grade 12, Gould Academy     Art Teacher: Lauren Head
HONORABLE MENTION		HONORABLE MENTION
Lips  acrylic		Pores  photography
Haleigh McKechnie     Grade 12, Thornton Academy     Art Teacher: Jennifer Merry		Riley Hemmings     Grade 11, Hebron Academy     Art Teacher: Jeanine Eschenbach
HONORABLE MENTION		HONORABLE MENTION
The Bermuda Triangle  digital		Menenius  digital
Lily Munro     Grade 10, Brunswick High School     Art Teacher: Colleen Kearney-Graffam		Meghan McDunnah     Grade 12, Mount Desert Island High School     Art Teacher: Charlie Johnson

Congresswoman Chellie Pingree and Congressman Bruce Poliquin  are delighted to announce the winners of the 2015 Congressional Arts Awards in Maine’s Congressional districts.

Pingree congratulates Djordje Jevtic, an exchange student from Belgrade, Serbia, who is attending Scarborough High School, for his winning artwork, “Self Portrait,” a distinctive work in acrylic.

“I’m always amazed by the quality of work that Maine students submit to this competition,” said Pingree. “I’m excited that Djordje’s work will represent our state at the Capitol—it shows a lot of talent. Winning the competition should be a great memory of Maine for him to bring back home,” “My thanks and congratulations go to all the students who participated this year, the art teachers who inspire them, and the Maine Arts Commission for coordinating this wonderful event. ”

Poliquin acknowledged Liam Reading, a senior at Bangor High School, as this year’s winner for Maine’s Second District for his white charcoal piece, “The Widow.”

“I continue to be amazed by the extraordinary talent and work of our Maine high school students,” said Poliquin. “Congratulations to Liam, and everyone who entered the competition, for sharing their artistic gifts.”

For information about the Congressional Art Competition please contact Julie Horn at the Maine Arts Commission, at 207-287-2790 or julie.horn@maine.gov

In Today’s News

Bangor High Arts Academy

A great opportunity for student artists of all kinds is underway at Bangor High School. Renee Ordway has the story.

http://www.foxbangor.com/news/local-news/7630-video-bangor-high-arts-academy-gives-students-unique-opportunity.html

 

Field Trip, Bangor High School

AP art classes

The following information was provided by Kal Elmore, Bangor High School art teacher.

Every year a special field trip experience is planned for the Advanced Placement Art classes at Bangor High School. This year’s field trip was stellar!

The day began with a stop at Jim Linehan’s studio in Bangor. We arrived at Jim’s studio bright and early (8:20 AM in fact). Jim graciously allowed us to see the studio space and his work – current work as well as some work from years past. Linehan is preparing for a big exhibit this summer and is working purposefully toward this goal. The artist discussed his process, where he gets his ideas and motivation, and other topics of interest to the students.

The next stop was Lord Hall at the University of Maine. After viewing the installation by Dudley Zopp, Department Chair Michael Grillo led a discussion of the work. Grillo also talked about the programs offered at UM and gave students a tour of the art classrooms in Lord Hall. The group also toured the Sculpture building before having lunch at the Union.

After lunch, Susan Groce gave a tour of the studio spaces in the new Wyeth Center – drawing, painting, and printmaking studios are large and well lit.

This is when the classes were split – Kal Elmore’s AP Studio Art class went to the printmaking studio to do a mono-printing workshop. Susan Groce showed examples, described the process, explained how the space would be used, etc. The ten students quickly got to work and each created three mono-prints using the different techniques described.

The AP 2-D class learned about the history and photographic styles of Pin Hole and Holga photography with Michael Grillo, including a photo shoot around the University of Maine campus with pin hole lenses and Holga cameras. After the photo shoot these students toured the New Media facilities with Owen Smith​ and got an opportunity to see 3D printers, laser cutters, digital sewing machines, and vaccuum forming machines with Sean Taylor.

This was a great opportunity to partner with the UM Art Department. The day was informative and interesting. All students had the opportunity to learn about art and post secondary options.

As a follow-up Kal has a colleague who is a Geospatial Educator that joined them on the trip. She created this presentation that I think you will find interesting http://bit.ly/1wlbyO7.

 

 

Fine Arts Academy

Bangor HIgh School

Susan Bryand works with Fine Arts Academy students during a summer enrichment activity

Bangor High School is the largest high school in the region with a student population around 1200. The school prides itself on helping each student to strive for academic excellence.

A few years ago, Bangor High School started a STEM Academy for motivated science and math students. The Fine Arts Academy is based on that model and is designed to enhance the opportunities for students who are interested in the arts. The Visual Arts component of the Academy will start this fall, with Theater and Music components coming in the near future. The Academy has had strong support from school administrators and the school board voted unanimously to approve it.

When we designed the Academy we looked at several models and talked about what would work for Bangor High students and we believe the plan will be very successful here. The BHS art teachers are very excited to have this opportunity as we continue to encourage art students to get the most out of their high school experience and work to provide additional enrichment opportunities whenever possible.

The main elements of the Fine Arts Academy (Visual Arts strand) plan include:

1. A course for freshmen called The Creative Process. This is the foundation course and expands the Art I curriculum in numerous ways.
2. Students in The Creative Process will earn honors credit by completing studio and writing assignments pertinent to the course.
3. A quarterly seminar based on a theme or topic and offered to all BHS advanced art students will extend learning about artists, techniques, career exploration, community art connections, etc.
4. Summer enrichment options for students include summer assignments, independent work, mentoring/internship opportunities, and group activities.
5. Honors credit option for all advanced art classes for Academy students – more depth and breadth.
6. Three distinct pathways to earning the Academy endorsement on student graduation certificates – Drawing/Painting, Digital/Commercial Art, and 3-D Design options. Each pathway culminates in an AP Art course.
7. A Capstone exhibit during the spring of each student’s senior year – will include a portfolio, an artist statement, documentation of the artist’s process, and a formal presentation of student accomplishment.
8. Additional options for community art connections will be encouraged.
9. Fine Arts Academy students take all the regular classes offered at BHS and will take at least 6 art credits during their 4 years.
10. This program will help prepare students for a wide range of post secondary options.

Twenty students have accepted the challenge and have signed up to take The Creative Process and to be a part of the BHS Fine Arts Academy. Eight sophomores have also opted to be part of the program. We are off to a great start and are looking forward to seeing great results from this innovative program.

This post was contributed by art teacher, Kal Elmore, Bangor High School. For further information please contact Kal at kelmore@bangorschools.net or colleagues Susan Bryand at sbryand@bangorschools.net, or Eric Hutchins at ehutchins@bangorschools.net.

Artwork at the Capitol in DC

Congressional Art Awards announced

Congressman Michael Michaud and Congresswoman Chellie Pingree are delighted to announce the winners of the 2014 Congressional Arts Awards in Maine’s Congressional districts.

Congressman Michaud congratulates Jessica Chen a senior of Bangor High School for her winning artwork, “Floating,” which is a pastel. Congresswoman Pingree then announced that Elena Laustsen, a junior at Oceanside High School East in Rockland, as winner of the 2014 Congressional Art Competition for Maine’s First District with her color pencil drawing, “Salmon.”

“This year we had another impressive batch of submissions from some of Maine’s talented students,” said Michaud. “Congratulations to Jessica and all of the runners-up for their outstanding work. I can’t help but smile with pride every time I walk into the Capitol and pass the artwork on display from our district.”

The runners-up and honorable mentions also all hail from Bangor High. Siblings Abbey and Morgan Kidder received first and second runner-up, respectively; while Nick Fournier and Shirley Yuen received honorable mentions.

“The quality of work that Maine students produce for this competition is always impressive—and this year was no exception. I’m very proud to have Elena’s lovely study of a salmon represent our District at the Capitol. It says a lot about the wildlife and natural places that make our state unique,” said Pingree. “My thanks and congratulations go to all the students who participated this year, the art teachers who’ve fostered their talent, and the Maine Arts Commission for coordinating this fantastic event.”

The judges also recognized the work of four other First District students—1st runner-up Caitlyn Duffy of Gorham, 2nd runner-up Veronica Jones of Readfield, and honorable mentions Elizabeth Brown of Manchester and Theresa Gervais of Chelsea. And from the Second District – 1st runner-up , Abbey Kidder of Bangor 2nd runner-up Morgan Kidder of Bangor, and honorable mentions Shirley Yuen of Bangor and Nick Fournier of Bangor.

The 2014 first place winners, Elena Laustsen and Jessica Chen will be joined by four runners-up from each congressional district when they meet with representatives from the Congressional Offices at a Blaine House reception held in their honor. This event is the culmination of a close partnership between the Maine Arts Commission and Maine’s Congressional offices. Both of Maine’s congressional delegates support this program enthusiastically and have provided their full support throughout the process.

CONGRATULATIONS to proud art teachers Holly Smith, teacher of Elena Laustsen, Sarah Dolley teacher of Caitlyn Duffy, and Linda Phillips, teacher of Veronica Jones and Theresa Gervais, Kal Elmore, teacher of Jessica Chen and Shirley Yuen, and Eric Hutchins, teacher of Morgan and Abbey Kidder and Nick Fournier.

 

In Today’s News

Bangor High School

A Fine Arts Academy is being designed as an option for students at Bangor High School. The proposal will be presented to the Bangor School Board of Education at their Wednesday night meeting. During the past year and a half the high school has had a STEM Academy as an option for students. They will build on the success of that program to create a second academy. You can read about the details in the Bangor Daily News article written by Nick McCrea by clicking here.

Bangor High School